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Taiwan Remains Resolute As China Ends ‘Justice Mission 2025’ Drills
Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te declared Thursday that the island is resolute in safeguarding its sovereignty and strengthening its defenses amid China’s growing assertiveness, following Beijing’s rocket launches during military drills near Taiwan.
The international community is watching to see whether the Taiwanese people possess the resolve to defend themselves, Lai said in a New Year’s speech broadcast live from the presidential office in Taipei.
“As president, my stance has always been clear: to resolutely defend national sovereignty and strengthen national defence,” Lai said, noting China had targeted Taiwan’s newly added combat capabilities as a “hypothetical adversary” in their drills this week.
“We are willing to engage in exchanges and cooperation with China on an equal and dignified basis, promoting a peaceful and shared environment across the strait,” Lai said. “As long as China acknowledges the existence of the Republic of China, respects the Taiwanese people’s desire for a democratic and free way of life.”
China Fired Dozens Of Rockets As Part Of Drills
After Lai’s address, China said he was trying to deceive Taiwanese and mislead international public opinion.
“Lai-Ching-te’s address is riddled with lies and reckless assertions, hostility and malice,” a spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said in comments reported by state broadcaster CCTV.
Lai’s speech came just two days after the Chinese exercises named “Justice Mission 2025”. China fired dozens of rockets towards Taiwan and deployed a large number of warships and aircraft near the island in a show of force that drew concern from Western allies including the European Commission and Britain.
Taipei condemned the drills as a threat to regional security and a blatant provocation. Beijing announced late on Wednesday that it had completed the drills, saying its military would continue to strengthen their combat-readiness.
The Chinese manoeuvres began 11 days after the United States had announced a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan. China’s military said for the first time that the drills were aimed at deterring outside intervention.
(With inputs from Reuters)
Trump Administration Lifts Biden Sanctions On Spyware Executives
U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has lifted sanctions on three executives tied to the spy software consortium Intellexa, according to a notice published to the U.S. Treasury’s website.
Rolling Back Biden’s Crackdown
The move partially reverses Biden-era sanctions on Intellexa, a spyware group the Treasury previously labeled a “complex international web” of invasive surveillance.
A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the removal “was done as part of the normal administrative process in response to a petition request for reconsideration.” The official added that each of the individuals had “demonstrated measures to separate themselves from the Intellexa Consortium.”
Intellexa representatives did not immediately respond to email messages requesting comment.
The notice said sanctions were lifted on Sara Hamou, whom the U.S. government accused of providing managerial services to Intellexa, Andrea Gambazzi, whose company was alleged by the U.S. government to have held the distribution rights to the Predator spyware, and Merom Harpaz, described by U.S. officials as a top executive in the consortium.
Global Security Concerns
The Intellexa consortium’s flagship “Predator” spyware is at the center of a scandal over the alleged surveillance of a journalist, a prominent opposition figure and dozens of others in Greece, while in 2023 a group of investigative news outlets reported that the Vietnamese government had tried to hack members of the U.S. Congress using Intellexa’s tools.
Dilian has previously denied any involvement or wrongdoing in the Greek case, and has not commented publicly on the attempted hacking of U.S. lawmakers.
In its initial wave of sanctions issued in March of last year, the U.S. government accused Intellexa of enabling “the proliferation of commercial spyware and surveillance technologies” to authoritarian regimes and alleged that its software had been used “in an effort to covertly surveil U.S. government officials, journalists, and policy experts.”
(With inputs from Reuters)
Pentagon Awards $328M Lockheed Contract For Taiwan Arms Sales
The Pentagon announced on Wednesday a contract for Lockheed Martin to provide foreign military sales to Taiwan, addressing what U.S. officials described as an “urgent operational need” for the Taiwan Air Force.
The contract has a ceiling value of $328.5 million, with $157.3 million in foreign military sales funds obligated at the time of award, the Pentagon said in a statement.
Why It’s Important
Washington has formal diplomatic ties with China, but maintains unofficial ties with Taiwan and is the island’s most important arms supplier. The U.S. is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself, though such arms sales are a persistent source of friction with China.
Taiwan remained on high alert on Wednesday after China staged massive military drills around the island the previous day, keeping its emergency maritime response centre running as it monitored Chinese naval maneuvers, the coast guard said.
Key Quotes
“This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of fifty-five Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor pods, processors, pod containers, and processor containers required to meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan Air Force,” the Pentagon said.
It added that the contract’s work will be performed in Orlando, Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2031.
Context
In mid-December, the administration of President Donald Trump announced $11.1 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, the largest ever U.S. weapons package for the island which is under increasing military pressure from China.
China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, and it has not ruled out using force to take it under Chinese control. Taiwan, which rejects China’s claims, condemned the latest drills as a threat to regional security and a blatant provocation.
(With inputs from Reuters)
From Tsunami Ruins to Tri-Service Bastion: Inside Andaman & Nicobar Command’s Carnic
Carnicobar: ANC’s Middle Bastion
On December 26, 2004, a monstrous wall of water shattered Carnicobar, killing 122 air warriors and family members and redrawing the coastline forever. But from the ruins of that devastating tsunami, a strategic powerhouse emerged. Today, Carnicobar serves as a linchpin of India’s Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), acting as a springboard for Indo-Pacific security. Beneath the waves lie haunting “Ghost Towns,” but above them, C-130J Super Hercules and elite paratroopers guard the world’s most critical sea lanes. This documentary is the story of a sentinel reborn. It is the story of Carnicobar: ANC’s middle bastion.
Series In 4K
Watch this series in 4K. Click the gear icon in YouTube’s settings and choose 2160p/4K, if your device is compatible. We recommend big screen viewing for the best experience. This episode aired on Dec 27, 2025. It hit 100,000+ views on Jan 1, 2026.
Arc Of Power: Episode 7
In Part VII of our Arc Of Power series, we journey to the strategic heart of the ANC: Carnicobar. Through high-octane sequences of C-130J Super Hercules operations and elite paratrooper drills, we explore how this remote outpost guards the world’s most critical maritime choke-points. Episode 7 documents a sentinel reborn, standing as a testament to India’s maritime resilience and strategic foresight.
Editor’s Note:A Pacific Tsunami Centre animation graphic tracking the progress of the 2004 tsunami incorrectly depicts India’s borders and territories.
Located roughly 1,800 kilometers from mainland India, Carnicobar (also spelt Car Nicobar) is more than a picturesque island; it is a “middle bastion” for the ANC. Its proximity to the Six Degree and Ten Degree Channels allows India to monitor the Malacca Strait, through which 80% of China’s energy imports travel.
Military Might: The Springboard
The airbase, originally laid by the Japanese in the 1940s, now hosts a range of sophisticated platforms. From P-8I long-range surveillance aircraft to Mi-17 V5 helicopters, the station ensures 24/7 readiness across a massive Area of Responsibility (AoR). During recent drills like Exercise Kavach, C-130J aircraft demonstrated the ability to launch airborne assaults directly from the mainland to these remote outposts.
The 2004 Tsunami permanently altered the island. The air station has been rebuilt stronger, and regular tsunami drills now ingrain survival strategies into the community.
‘Arc Of Power’ Series
A StratNews Global team of Amitabh P. Revi, Rohit Pandita and Vashisht Mattoo document this series. Deepankar Verma provides all the informational graphics. In case you missed:
👉Andaman & Nicobar Command. ‘Arc Of Power’ Episode I | Rutland Beach Joint Service Amphibious Assault.
👉INS Kohassa: Eyes In The Sky, Punch In The Sea, Khukris On The Beach— ANC | Arc Of Power, Episode II.
👉Andaman Nicobar Command: India’s Strategic Outpost | C-in-C, Air Marshal Saju Balakrishnan Exclusive | Episode III.
👉Tarasa, Tiger & Tamannaah—Andaman & Nicobar Command, Arc Of Power Part IV: Outpost To Springboard.
👉Andaman & Nicobar Command: In Conversation With The Commanding Officer INS Saryu | Arc of Power Episode V.
👉 9 Days On INS Saryu; A Sailor’s Life At Sea, A Home Away From Home | Andaman & Nicobar Command. Episode VI.
Taiwan On Alert As China Ends Massive Drills
Taiwan stayed on high alert on Wednesday, following China’s large-scale military exercises around the island a day earlier. The coast guard reported that its emergency maritime response center continued operating as it tracked Chinese naval movements.
China’s “Justice Mission 2025” drills saw rockets fired toward Taiwan and heavy deployments of warships and aircraft, alarming regional and Western allies. Beijing declared the exercises complete but vowed to stay on high alert. Taiwan’s defense ministry responded that its forces would maintain contingency measures as Chinese planes and vessels remained nearby.
Taiwan’s defence ministry on Wednesday said 77 Chinese military aircraft and 25 navy and coast guard vessels had been operating around the island in the past 24 hours.
Among them, 35 military planes had crossed the Taiwan Strait median line that separates the two sides, it added.
‘Stern Warning’
As the war games unfolded, United States Ambassador to China David Perdue posted on X a photo of himself with the ambassadors from countries in the Quad, a grouping that includes the U.S., Australia, Japan and India.
In the post, he called the Quad a “force for good” working to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific but gave no details about what the meeting discussed or when it took place.
The U.S. State Department said Perdue regularly meets with diplomats and Chinese officials to advance the U.S. president’s agenda. “In line with these routine meetings he met with Quad Ambassadors in Beijing on December 19”, a State Department spokesperson told Reuters.
The drills, China’s most extensive war games by coverage area to date, forced Taiwan to cancel dozens of domestic flights and dispatch jets and warships for monitoring. Soldiers ran rapid-response drills including putting up barricades at various locations.
China’s state news agency Xinhua published an article summarising “three key takeaways” from the drills, which began 11 days after the United States announced a record $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan.
The simulated “encirclement” demonstrated the People’s Liberation Army’s ability to “press and contain separatist forces while denying access to external interference – an approach summarised as ‘sealing internally and blocking externally’,” the article said, citing Zhang Chi, a professor at the PLA National Defence University.
(With inputs from Reuters)
What China’s Latest Military Drills Around Taiwan Signal
By any stretch of imagination, it’s hard to justify China’s latest round of military muscle-flexing around Taiwan as justice of any kind.
But “Justice Mission 2025” is what they have called it, a two-day operation involving, according to Taiwan’s Defense Ministry, 130 sorties by Chinese military aircraft, 14 naval vessels and eight other ships with lots of fireworks.
This is the sixth round of Chinese military exercises around Taiwan ever since they began in 2022 when Nancy Pelosi, then Speaker of the US House of Representatives, visited the island.
The rhetoric from Beijing was tough as usual with the foreign ministry spokesman calling it “A punitive and deterrent action against separatist forces who seek Taiwan independence through military buildup, and a necessary move to safeguard China’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The words “punitive” and “deterrent” does suggest China was retaliating against the recent US announcement of an $11 bn arms package for the island nation.
Top diplomat Wang Yi said his country would “forcefully counter” US arms sales and any attempt to obstruct unification with the island “will inevitably end in failure”.
Taiwan’s President Lai-Ching-tei criticised the drills, noting that this is “not something that a responsible power should do. We will act responsibly and not escalate conflict or stir up disputes,” he said adding that the military “will do their best to ensure the safety of the country,”
In India, PLA watchers say the exercises around Taiwan would have been an opportunity for top commanders to hone their “Cold Start” doctrine, which basically involves mobilising and deploying land, naval and air assets at very short notice.
Incidentally, PLA scholar Suyash Desai told StratNewsGlobal that President Xi Jinping recently promoted the Taiwan-focused Eastern Theater Commander to the rank of general, which signals full combat readiness.
Aligned with the Eastern Theater Command is the Southern Theater Command which is responsible for the South China Sea, both would have been tasked with executing the latest round of muscle-flexing in the Taiwan Strait.
It also underscores the other point that Taiwan remains the “primary strategic direction” for the Beijing establishment (even as India has got an “upgrade”, now ranking just below Taiwan).
But do these exercises tell us anything about Chinese military capabilities?
Desai believes “They are reforming the military, like no one else. They are trimming the forces because it was a large military. They are buying newer equipment. There is a lot of argument whether PLA equipment is good or not, we don’t know.”
But the PLA brass is focused on future warfare, whether Cold Start or Multi-Domain Integrated Operations. So those are positives from their point of view. The current round of military drills around Taiwan are also expected to help refine their “grey zone tactics, basically coercive actions just short of war.
There is another point these exercises throw up: Desai believes based on his study of the PLA, that motivation is low because of the purge of top ranking generals carried out by Xi Jinping. How does that impact on wartime readiness?
The PLA will mark its 100th anniversary in April 2027, which is the deadline set by Xi for the force to be fully modernised and strategically capable. That year could also mark the decisive push for “armed unification” with Taiwan, possibly an invasion.
Xi may prefer a negotiated solution perhaps with some Western guarantees but the current geopolitical situation may rule that out. The longer he waits, domestic economic uncertainties may become major hurdles to a military solution. Xi has tough choices ahead and limited time to ensure success.
India’s Next Test Is Strategic Choice
Part I: 2025 Ends India’s Strategic Comfort Zone
If 2025 was about hardening, 2026 will be about choosing between habits and outcomes.
The most immediate challenge lies in managing parallel tracks that increasingly pull in opposite directions. India will deepen security coordination within the Quad even as it prepares to assume a leadership role in BRICS.
This is not a contradiction in New Delhi’s eyes, but it will be treated as one by others.
The Quad expects clarity on maritime security, technology standards, and China. BRICS is drifting—unevenly—toward debates on de-dollarisation, financial autonomy, and post-Western institutional reform.
India need not be the loudest voice in either camp. But it must be the most precise.
That precision is missing in parts of India’s multilateral posture. SAARC was abandoned and BIMSTEC promoted as an alternative, yet BIMSTEC now drifts—under-resourced and politically inert.
India sits within the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation while doing little to strengthen its cohesion and at times signalling scepticism from within. India remains in BRICS even as the grouping edges toward de-dollarisation, a project New Delhi openly resists.
India has also walked a tightrope while balancing its ties with Israel and the Arab world, including Iran and Saudi Arabia. And in a move that raised some eyebrows, it opened up to the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, stopping just short of formal recognition.
None of these positions is illegitimate on its own. But together, they raise a basic question: what exactly is India trying to achieve through these platforms?
China, meanwhile, is not waiting. It will continue pressing along the Line of Actual Control without crossing crisis thresholds. It will expand naval presence in the Indian Ocean while denying strategic intent. It will tighten economic and technological ecosystems even as globalisation fragments. The danger for India is fatigue, complacency, and failing to recognise that China prefers to restrain India, not go to war with it.
Against this backdrop, 2026 should be shaped by four deliberate policy moves.
First, lock in deterrence as a system, not a reaction.
The LAC posture has already shifted from temporary to permanent. What remains is institutional follow-through: predictable funding, logistics that assume winter as default, and political messaging that treats the border as a standing condition rather than a diplomatic failure. With Pakistan, deterrence must remain calibrated and unemotional. The objective is not dialogue or dominance but denying space for escalation, mediation theatre, or narrative inversion.
Second, treat defence exports as strategy.
BrahMos sales in 2025 were not just proof of concept; they were a signal. In 2026, India should formalise a tiered export doctrine with clear rules on where, when, and why systems are offered. This allows India to shape regional balances without inheriting regional conflicts.
Third, assume a fractured monetary order.
India should resist grandstanding while quietly expanding settlement options, currency-swap frameworks, and financial interoperability with trusted partners. As BRICS chair, India’s value lies in moderation—preventing the forum from hardening into an anti-Western bloc while acknowledging legitimate concerns over financial concentration and sanctions overreach.
Finally, make neighbourhood policy execution-driven.
With Bangladesh, Nepal, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka, India’s advantage is not ideology or civilisational rhetoric, although these cannot be wished away. It is proximity plus speedy delivery. Power grids, fuel supply, digital public infrastructure, and disaster response capabilities matter more than sanctimonious speeches or summits.
Beyond these choices lies a quieter frontier: geography itself. The Arctic is no longer peripheral. Shorter trade routes, energy access, and reduced chokepoint dependence make northern passages strategically relevant. India’s engagement must be scientific, commercial, and diplomatic—aligned with resilience rather than symbolism.
What India must avoid in 2026 is the temptation to constantly explain itself.
Strategic autonomy does not require narration. It requires consistency. Partners will test resolve. Rivals will probe thresholds. Some will try to force binary choices. The correct response is sequencing—knowing when to move, when to wait, and when to stay silent.
India is no longer operating in a system designed for its rise. It is operating in one strained by others’ decline, anxiety, and revisionism. This requires knowing the difference between adjustment and strategy. And the high cost of indecision.
Inside India’s Elite Counter-Insurgency & Jungle Warfare School; Vairengte Warriors Part II
CIJWS Training Ground
The Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Vairengte, Mizoram is globally recognized as a training ground for modern warfare. Conceived under the vision of a future Field Marshal Sam Manekshaw, CIJWS has evolved from its early role in combating insurgents in India’s North East into a world-class hub for counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism training. Today, CIJWS prepares soldiers from India and abroad to excel in hostile terrains, asymmetric warfare, and unpredictable combat scenarios.
Vairengte Warriors Documentary: Episode II
Episode II of the “Vairengte Warriors” documentary series on our sister channel BharatShakti.in captures the visceral intensity of reflex firing drills. Soldiers are trained to:
- React instantly to ambushes.
- Adjust firing positions dynamically.
- Master ambidextrous shooting techniques.
- Adapt to uphill and downhill firing angles.
- Maintain composure under extreme stress
Major Abhishek Rawat, a CIJWS Instructor, explains that reflex firing is designed to hard-wire instinctive responses into muscle memory, ensuring soldiers can react subconsciously in life-or-death situations.
👉 Watch the series in 4K Ultra HD on YouTube by selecting 2160p/4K. For maximum impact, view it on a big screen.
Produced by the BharatShakti team—Amitabh P. Revi, Rohit Pandita, and Ankit Mattoo—with graphics by Purnima Singh and Deepankar Verma.
Information & Research Centre (IRC)
Beyond the firing range, CIJWS’s Information and Research Centre (IRC) bridges theory and practice. Officers immerse themselves in:
- Insurgency case studies.
- Global terrorism trends.
- Military innovations and doctrines.
Major Manish Bansal highlights CIJWS’s historic role in the 1971 war, underscoring its operational legacy and continued relevance in shaping modern military strategy.
Special Heliborne Operations
At the CIJWS helipad, Indian and foreign officers rehearse special heliborne operations. An Indian Air Force Mi-17 helicopter inserts troops onto a drop zone (DZ) for slithering drills. Soldiers descend ropes with precision, secure perimeters, and advance in buddy pairs.
Capt. Sandeep emphasizes that these drills replicate real-world raids, teaching:
- Stealth and synchronization.
- Fire-and-move tactics.
- Rapid perimeter control.
CIJWS – Conditioning Ground for Modern Warfare
CIJWS is more than a school. It is a conditioning ground where skill, drill, will, and guile converge to kill (a school catch phrase). Its alumni, from India and across the world, carry forward lessons that shape modern counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism warfare.
Missed Episode I? Watch “Counter-Insurgency, Jungle Warfare Masterclass: Meet The CIJWS Commandant | Vairengte Warriors”.
US Peddles WTO “Reform”, Goal Is To Restructure To Suits Its Interests
“The point to remember in respect of the two recent free trade agreements with Oman and New Zealand is that both are not very large economies. They already are fairly open. New Zealand has one of the lowest customs duties anywhere in the world.
“So the incremental gain for our exports from the free trade agreements with both Oman and New Zealand are not likely to be very significant.”
That’s the word from Abhijit Das, former head of the Centre for WTO Studies, during a conversation on The Gist.
He underscored that “Our exports will certainly grow. But the free trade agreements with these two countries cannot really provide the huge boost, the huge momentum to propel our exports to a higher trajectory.”
Equally significant is what he had to say about US moves to “reform” the World Trade Organisation (WTO), set up by the West with the idea of promoting multilateral rules-based trade. Today, the US is seeking to reverse that.
“What we had been suspecting all along for the past few years is, you know, out there at the WTO in writing in black and white. So that leaves no one in any doubt about the motivations and the objectives that the United States wants to pursue.”
The US is challenging the most favoured nation principle, a cornerstone of the WTO, that gives less developed and poorer nations, concessions in terms of their exports to the markets of the rich nations. Donald Trump wants this ended and his reciprocal tariffs have already hit that principle.
Nor does Trump like the “special and differential” treatment for poorer countries, demanding that this apply only to Least Developed Countries and only for a transitory period.
It is also undermining the multilateral and consensus based decision making nature of the WTO with pluri-lateral arrangements. These are agreements signed on by a limited number of WTO members but the US wants such agreements to be included in the WTO rule book.
Given the huge power asymmetry between the US, Europe and Japan on one side, and countries like India, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria and others lined up opposite, the latter are at a huge disadvantage and it remains to be seen how they can come together to take on the rich world. This is not a battle that can be fought by individual nations.
Tune in for more in this conversation with Abhijit Das, former head of the Centre for WTO Studies.
Battle of Galwan: When a Bollywood Trailer Got China Nervous
You can never tell what will excite social media and in the case of China’s Weibo, which is state-controlled, the mandarins may find even obscure developments of use to them.
This is not to suggest the Battle of Galwan is obscure. This Bollywood production starring Salman Khan as Col. Santosh Babu, commanding officer of the 16th battalion of the Bihar Regiment, who was killed by PLA troops in the Galwan valley in an unjustified attack, is scheduled for release in April 2026 and is widely expected to perform well (meaning heat up anti-China sentiment), which explains Weibo’s interest.
China’s state-run Global Times (GT) has dismissed the film as “exaggerated”, claiming it is a “one-sided portrayal” of an event which threw bilateral relations into the deep freeze for four years. It said the film would “stir nationalist sentiment rather than reflecting historical facts”.
Beijing’s Self-Serving Critique
The criticism appears rather self-serving given how the mandarins have repeatedly used the media to drum up nationalist sentiment whether against India or even Japan, Taiwan, the US to name a few.
GT then quoted various Chinese experts as saying that Indian troops crossed the Line of Actual Control first and stressed that cinematic drama cannot weaken “the PLA’s resolve to defend its territorial claims”.
That was enough to get Weibo going: verified accounts openly mocked the film, accusing India of distorting history. One post sneered that India “still hasn’t been beaten enough” and was back to twisting facts.
Another argued that if China does not put forward its own narrative, international audiences exposed primarily to Indian films may end up accepting that version of events. This helps explain why a verified Weibo handle run by the Shanghai Han Weiyang Traditional Culture Promotion Centre published a post on December 30 titled “An Epic of Heroes from the Galwan Valley,” adopting an overtly emotive and nationalist tone.
It framed the valley as a strategically decisive frontier, and PLA soldiers as “resolute guardians of sovereignty”, rather dramatically describing them as “Han soldiers are like the sun and moon, shining over frost and snow; looking back, all enemies are swept away.” (Screenshot below)
Some bloggers also shared images from the Galwan border zone showing a slogan carved onto a mountainside (screenshot below), which reads, “Magnificent rivers and mountains not an inch of land will be yielded.” Commonly used in official and popular discourse, the slogan reflects the idea that every part of the country’s territory is non-negotiable and must be defended without compromise.
Another verified Weibo blogger reflected a Chinese fear: “The Indian fantasy film ‘Battle of Galwan’ has released its trailer once again pushing a self-gratifying storyline where one man takes on hundreds. Honestly, we should make our own film too. If we don’t tell the facts ourselves, most people will only see Indian movies and quite a few will actually believe the Indian version.”
The last reflects a point made earlier here, that given China’s low international credibility driven largely by state-controlled media prone to purveying propaganda, don’t rule out a Beijing riposte to Bollywood’s Galwan.